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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24627586">It's the Great Pumpkin Race, Chris Chow!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pertainstothesea/pseuds/pertainstothesea'>pertainstothesea</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Check Please! (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, giant pumpkin race</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:21:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24627586</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pertainstothesea/pseuds/pertainstothesea</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>At the request of ivecarvedawoodenheart on tumblr, here are the Frogs growing a giant pumpkin with the purpose of hollowing it out and using it as a boat in a race, where Chowder gets to be the one actually rowing it in the competition. I said this would be 500 words but I'm a liar apparently.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chris "Chowder" Chow &amp; Derek "Nursey" Nurse &amp; William "Dex" Poindexter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>It's the Great Pumpkin Race, Chris Chow!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourPalYourBuddy/gifts">YourPalYourBuddy</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The Frogs sat on folding chairs in the backyard of the Haus, beers in hand, staring at their pumpkin. Grown with Atlantic Giant seeds that Chowder found online. Pumped full of fertilizer and a special kind of benevolent fungus that would redirect water to the roots all summer by Nursey, who’d stayed at Samwell to take some extra summer classes. Resting on a special pallet built by Dex to keep it safe from touching the ground and potentially getting moldy, also designed so they could borrow a forklift and put it in a truck when the time came to transport it to the race.</p><p class="p1">It was beautiful. There was no good way for them to weigh it, but it was definitely over a thousand pounds.</p><p class="p1">“I literally did most of the work,” Nursey argued. “I grew it all fucking summer, I fertilized it literally every day and sang to the fruits so they’d grow stronger, I should get to ride in it.”</p><p class="p1">“I’ve got so much experience that my first <em>memory</em> is on a boat, I’ll be the best at steering and paddling and giving us an actual chance at winning,” Dex countered. “It’s not a chill cruise down the river, it’s a fucking race and we need to win, otherwise what’s the point of growing a giant pumpkin and carving it out? We can go to a lazy river next summer if you want to chill. This is the one situation where the Venn diagram of my boat skills and my competitive nature intersect, it has to be me!”</p><p class="p1">“Actually, if you think about it and remember the start of this, it was my idea to begin with, sooo maybe it should actually be me in the actual pumpkin boat?” Chowder said. “Besides, I’m more flexible than either of you so I’ll be way more comfy in there, because it’s big but it’s not <em>that</em> big, AND I’m used to moving in bulky goalie pads so I’ll be great at rowing with a life vest on. Plus, it’s not a kayak- it might move around, so we need someone with great balance, not one of two idiots who tripped on a pile of leaves and the basement stairs twice in the past week. This is a goalie face situation, not a friendly-me situation. I’ll crush them.”</p><p class="p1">“Okay the goalie pads aren’t <em>that</em> much more intense than what we wear for defense,” Nursey said with a glance at Dex. They shared a look for a second that somehow communicated “if we take him down together, then we can decide which one of us gets to actually do it.”</p><p class="p1">“Yeah, and a life vest is like nothing. It’s just foam,” Dex added.</p><p class="p1">“It’s foam that restricts your movements,” Chowder argued back.</p><p class="p1">“Stop it!” Hops yelled out the window. “The crew girls have a few kayaks, you should just ask to borrow them and race each other and stop loudly <em>bickering</em> while <em>some</em> people are <em>trying</em> to study!”</p><p class="p1">The Frogs glanced at each other.</p><p class="p1">“I mean, it’s not a bad idea. But do we want to start a precedent of letting freshmen tell us what to do?” Chowder asked.</p><p class="p1">“No, but like. I really want to kick your asses here,” Dex said. Chowder snorted. “What?”</p><p class="p1">“Yeah, you’re going to kick our asses at rowing boats with all your experience on motorized boats,” Chowder said, rolling his eyes. “Bullshit.”</p><p class="p1">“Let’s fucking go,” Nursey said, a grin splitting his face.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">It went like this:</p><p class="p1">The captain of the women’s crew team blew the whistle to signal the start of the race.</p><p class="p1">All three of the Frogs started strong, kayaking briskly- left right left right left right, the rhythm building.</p><p class="p1">Dex took the lead briefly, but, distracted by Nursey and Chowder shouting at him, turned the wrong way by paddling left, left, left, right, left and slamming into a stray branch sticking out of the water. Cursing loudly, he fell behind the others by several dozen yards as they glided easily past the branch they’d been trying to warn him about.</p><p class="p1">Nursey took the lead next, powering past Chowder by finding a stray current and gliding with it. Then the leaf blew into his mouth. Still, he kept his lead even as he spat out oak.</p><p class="p1">They were neck and neck for about two hundred yards down the river, paddling steadily. Then the goose attacked. Nursey drifted about an inch too close to the riverbank, an inch too close to the goose’s precious eggs, and was met with a hissing tooth-tongued demon. As he flailed to get away without smacking the goose, Chowder smoothly, almost effortlessly, pushed through to the finishline.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Take that, losers!” he yelled back at his dearest friends.</p><p class="p1">Dex slowly paddled up to Nursey, who was panting heavily and keeping one eye on the goose. The goose settled back down on her nest primly, like she wouldn’t try to bite the eyeballs out of the next person who dared to get within a ten foot radius of the nest. Dex pulled a feather from where it had gotten stuck on Nursey’s sweater.</p><p class="p1">“Actually, maybe I didn’t want to ride in a pumpkin boat in 40ºF water,” Dex said slowly. “That’ll be cold and wet and shitty.”</p><p class="p1">“I think you’re on to something,” Nursey said. “It’ll probably be better to be on the sidelines. We can pack cocoa–”</p><p class="p1">“–maybe even spiked cocoa, and cider, and there’ll probably be cider donuts by then,” Dex interrupted.</p><p class="p1">“Of course we’ll share with him once he’s done with the race,” Nursey said.</p><p class="p1">“Of course,” Dex agreed. “But we’ll be warm and comfortable and dry. It’s for the best.”</p><p class="p1">“I mean, there are definitely going to be people selling pumpkin foods, right?” Nursey said, slowly paddling towards Chowder. “Like, this is really the best case scenario if you think about it.”</p><p class="p1">“Hundred percent. I don’t know why I even thought I’d want to do this,” Dex said. “The fun part is growing it, carving it into a boat, and watching.”</p><p class="p1">“Exactly,” Nursey agreed.</p>
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